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Flashback: Priebus at 2012 convention

But Watts, an African-American conservative who served in the House from 1994-2002, said the GOP defeat on Election Day demonstrates that Republicans need to broaden their appeal to minority voters, and cannot continue on their current path if the party is to be successful in presidential races.

“My concern right now, and I don’t say this necessarily as a candidate [for RNC chairman], my concern is that as a Republican, every single Republican in America ought to be concerned about what has happened in 2008 and 2012,” Watts said in an interview with POLITICO. “In this business, if you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

Watts would not identify who is lobbying him to challenge Priebus, and reiterated that he has not made a decision to definitely jump into the race.

Watts complained that Republican efforts to reach out to minority groups have not been sustained or consistent during his 20-plus years as a politician, but rather are executed on ad hoc basis - usually in election years. In Watts’ view, and that of many other Republican leaders and party operatives, if the GOP doesn’t dramatically improve its image with black and Hispanic voters, it will not be able to win back the White House.

“These old, tired, pathetic models of saying, ‘Okay, in the black [community], when there’s a presidential election, we will form an African-American Coalition for [Mitt] Romney or [Sen. John] McCain,’ I’ll never do that again. That is a joke, that is so tired,” Watts said. “It’s window dressing to say, ‘African Americans for Romney’ or ‘African-American Coalition’ or ‘African-American Advisory Council.’ That’s insulting to the people that they ask to do it when you don’t put an permanent infrastructure in place to give it credibility.”

According to exit polls, President Barack Obama won 93 percent of African-American voters, and over 70 percent of Hispanic voters, key blocs in his successful run for a second term. Such stark numbers are a major concern for GOP leaders as the party begins to think about the 2014 and 2016 battles for Congress and the White House.

First off ,If you never heard of J.C.Watts then you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about what has been going on in your country for the last 20 years or so, and you should not be allowed to vote because of your utter ignorance and stupidity. With that said,I submit the following . ---- J.C. My man. I hope you are up for it,because the Democrats will' Uncle Tom"" Aunt Jemima" and "House Nigga" you to death.You will be called every name in the book,and every Gloria Allred client and hooker in the world will be dropping dimes on you, even if you never knew them.You had better be squeaky clean and skeleton free,and have stainless steel testicles,or you will be treated to the Democratic version of a political colonoscopy.I wish you luck and I hope that if you accept, that you will become the viscious pitt bull attack dog that the Republicans have so far failed to produce, a failure that has caused them to give us two impotent candidates in a row. The Republican party needs to get rid of the old guard, have a very heavy infusion of Testosterone,have an actually viable candidate, and a willingness to let the tea party have a major part in its leadership and platform, or it will become a political dinosaur and we will go the way of 1950's Eastern Europe and the Soviet Bloc. And this,from me, Killowatt ,who some of you left wing radical racebaiting haters out there ,try to paint and demonize (Saul Alinsky ) as a racist instead of a REALIST. To you --- SHOVE IT !!! "Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it " . WE HAVE ELECTED THE ENEMY !!

“My concern right now, and I don’t say this necessarily as a candidate [for RNC chairman], my concern is that as a Republican, every single Republican in America ought to be concerned about what has happened in 2008 and 2012,” Watts said in an interview with POLITICO. “In this business, if you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

Wisest words a Republican can say.., as condender for the RNC chairmanship.., or not...

The GOP might reach out to the Hispanic community and actually draw more support. The African American community has proven it will vote for black Democrat candidates at all levels of local,state and federal political office. Electing JC Watts to head the RNC won't trigger any change in voting patterns in the black community. Most black Republicans are scorned and held in contempt by groups like the NAACP,Urban League,and of course,the liberals in the media..

Back when Michael Steele was RNC chairman it seemed clear to me his main purpose was to appeal to the potential minority constituency without totally freaking out the di*sh*t base. What does Watts bring to the table that Steele didn't? Actually, much less. When Steele was in place I thought he was a bit light in the intellect because, mirable dictu, he was parroting the GOP agenda. Now that he is free at last from that insanity, he actually displays a good bit of critical thinking and honesty.

Watts does not. Never has, never will. He's a total lightweight. A good-looking former athlete with a mlni-mind. Not that that's a problem in Oklahoma.

The GOP might reach out to the Hispanic community and actually draw more support. The African American community has proven it will vote for black Democrat candidates at all levels of local,state and federal political office. Electing JC Watts to head the RNC won't trigger any change in voting patterns in the black community. Most black Republicans are scorned and held in contempt by groups like the NAACP,Urban League,and of course,the liberals in the media..

"The GOP might reach out to the Hispanic community and actually draw more support"?... You have to change that to SHOULD, instead of MIGHT.. And start getting rid of this notion that black voters hate black Republicans... They don't like the policies... White Democrats dislike Romney...., but only because of his policies... The Pubbies have to appeal to the wishes of voters... Its like a business.., if you want market share.., you have to abide by the rules of supply and demand legislatively... Or.., stay the same way...

The problem that the GOP has.., is that the RINO is no longer around, as they are seen as traitorous enemies to the party... This is a political species that is extinct... Senators like Chuck Hagle from Nebraska was seen as someone that was very pragmatic in his thinking...

Hagel crossed party lines again and endorsed his friend and former colleague, Democrat Bob Kerrey, for the U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

"We must put an end to this senseless and irresponsible partisan paralysis that has locked down our government," Hagel said, as he hailed Kerrey as an example of "quality leadership."

"We must start working together again for the good of our country," he said.

Hagel, who served in the Senate from 1997 to 2009, became known as a political maverick for criticizing the Bush administration on the Iraq War. The Vietnam veteran also accompanied then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on a trip to Iraq and Afghanistan in the midst of the 2008 campaign.

Are we going to do this again? The election of Michael Steele was an embarrassing exer in tokenism. Putting JC Watts in the same office would be perceived as more of the same. Now that Allen West has been defeated, we have exactly one black congressman. Do the republicans think that any africans are fooled by this kind of stupidity?

Most blacks regard the republican party as the party of the ku klux klan. That is not actually true, but there is enough truth in it that almost all blacks believe it. They the percentage of whites who voted for Obama, and they know that almost the votes Romney got were from whites. The republican party might as well resign itself to being the party which represents white Americans. That is what they are in reality anyway.

They will continue to get a few votes from Africans, who for one reason or another vote for conservatives. And they will continue to get maybe 30% of hispanics and asians. All things considered, that ain't bad. If the whites who did NOT vote this year had done so, and given the same percentage of their votes to Romney as the whites who DID, Romney would have won.

White people sitll matter. We might be old, heartless, racist so-and-sos, to the Al Sharpton brigade, but we still count. I don't have any candidate to suggest for the RNC gig, but I hope we don't embarrasss ourselves again by electing Watts. He is a good guy, but everybody will call him "lawn jockey", and worse.

While I don't think Priebus was a good chair for the RNC, the fact is they could elect chairmen of any color or ethnicity but until they offer a better message it won't matter. The simple fact is it's the message, not the messenger.